Summertime Sadness: Still Lots of Work Left to be Done on Appropriations
OVERVIEW
Throughout July, the Senate Committee on Appropriations ramped up their advancement of fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills, advancing eight of their 12 appropriations bills out of the full committee. In the lower chamber, the House advanced five of their FY2026 bills out of the full committee—Commerce, Energy, Interior, State and Transportation—sending them to the House floor for consideration. The House previously advanced five other bills out of the full committee and two on the House floor, as reflected in the table below. On Aug. 1, the Senate passed its first three-bill minibus containing Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch and Military Construction bills.
Over half of the appropriations bills have been considered in both chambers; however, Senate bill text for Energy, Financial Services, Homeland Security and State appropriations bills have yet to be released in addition to being scheduled for markups. On the House side, 10 appropriations bills have been considered in the full committee, with the exception of the Commerce, Financial Services and Labor-HHS bills.
The below chart provides an overview of the House and Senate bill text, the committee markup schedule and the current status of the 12 appropriations bills.
| Appropriations Bill | House Bill Text | Senate Bill Text | Markup Schedule | Status |
| Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies | House Ag-FDA Text | Senate Ag-FDA Text | Passed out of Full House Committee, 35-27 Passed out of the Senate, 87-9 | Awaiting floor votes in House |
| Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies | House CJS Text | Senate CJS Text | Passed out of Full House Committee, 31-26 Passed out of Full Senate Committee, 19-10 | Awaiting Full House Committee Markup and Senate floor vote |
| Defense | House Defense Text | Senate Defense Text | Passed out of the House, 221-209 Passed out of Full Senate Committee, 26-3 | Awaiting floor votes in Senate |
| Energy and Water Development | House Energy and Water Text | Not available yet | Passed out of Full House Committee, 35-27 | Awaiting Senate Markup and floor vote in House |
| Financial Services and General Government | House FSGG Text | Not available yet | Passed out of House Subcommittee, 9-6 | Awaiting Full House Committee Markup and Senate Markup |
| Homeland Security | House Homeland Security Text | Not available yet | Passed out of Full House Committee, 36-27 | Awaiting Senate Markup and floor vote in House |
| Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies | House Interior Text | Senate Interior Text | Passed out of Full House Committee, 33-28 Passed out of Full Senate Committee, 26-2 | Awaiting floor votes in House and Senate |
| Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies | Not available yet | Senate Labor-HHS Text | House Subcommittee Markup: Sept. 4 Passed out of Full Senate Committee, 26-3 | Awaiting House Markups and floor vote in Senate |
| Legislative Branch | Leg Branch Text | Senate Leg Branch Text | Passed out of Full House Committee, 34-28 Passed out of the Senate, 81-15 | Awaiting floor votes in House |
| Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies | MilConVA Text [H.R. 3944] | MilConVA Text | Passed out of the House, 218-206 Passed out of the Senate, 87-9 | Ready for conference |
| State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs | House National Security Text | Not available yet | Passed out of Full House Committee, 35-27 | Awaiting Senate Markup and floor vote in House |
| Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies | House THUD Text | Senate THUD Text | Passed out of Full House Committee, 35-28 Passed out of Full Senate Committee, 27-1 | Awaiting floor votes in House and Senate |
LOOKING FORWARD
The Senate and House have now adjourned for the August recess and will return on Sept. 2. Upon returning, members will have less than a month and roughly 14 legislative days for the House and the Senate to pass and reconcile all 12 appropriations bills. This remains highly unlikely as vast differences remain between the House and Senate versions. It is increasingly likely another continuing resolution (CR) will be necessary to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30.
THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE CURRENT STATUS OF APPROPRIATIONS LEGISLATION. THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT OR IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE AS TO AN ISSUE, PLEASE CONTACT THE ATTORNEYS LISTED OR YOUR REGULAR BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP ATTORNEY. THIS COMMUNICATION MAY BE CONSIDERED ADVERTISING IN SOME JURISDICTIONS.
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